Tag: Muskoka Novel Marathon

The final total of funds raised by the 2016 Muskoka Novel Marathon for adult literacy in Huntsville is $36,000 even.

“YMCA Huntsville Literacy Services is extremely grateful for this contribution to our community,” says Kate Meeks, who shared marathon convening duties with Susan Kulkarni. “A donation of this size will help over 100 recipients receive access to literacy programs. Many thanks to the committee members and writers who made this possible.”
The Muskoka Novel Marathon is an annual 72-hour writing retreat and literacy fundraiser that takes place in the Active Living Centre in the Canada Summit Centre in Huntsville. This year it took place July 8-11.

It is also a judged writing competition, and the winners’ manuscripts are sent directly to two publishing professionals. For the Young Adult/Juvenile category, it’s children’s book editor Peter Carver of Red Deer Press. For the Adult category, it’s literary agent Chris Bucci, who represents former Novel Marathon Best Novel winner Amy Stuart, whose Novel Marathon project eventually became the national bestseller Still Mine.

This year’s Adult winner is Kevin Craig of Toronto, who has won four times previously in the YA/Juvenile category, for his manuscript I Will Tell The Night.

The YA/Juvenile winner is Lori Manson of Toronto, for her manuscript Ned and Nora Stone.

The Most Prolific Award and peer-voted “Bum-in-Chair” Award were both won for the second year in a row by Lenore Butcher of Woodstock, Ontario, who completed a staggering 341 pages, equalling 72,400 words.

The Rockstar Award, for second-most prolific, was won by Michael Codato of Gravenhurst, who wrote 261 pages, or 62,300 words.

In other peer-voted awards: the Techie Award, for the writer who most assists other writers with technical issues, was won for the second time in a row by Dawn Huddlestone of Huntsville.
The Spirit Award, for the writer who most embodies the spirit of the Novel Marathon, was won for the second year in a row by Dale Long of Uxbridge, Ontario.

Two first-time writers tied for the Rookie of the Year Award: Rebecca Senese of Toronto and Cindy Watson of Bracebridge.
2016’s top fundraiser — for the fifth year in a row — was Cheryl Cooper of Bracebridge, whose final total is $3,050.

Funds raised by the Marathon go to the YMCA’s Literary Services in Huntsville. The program’s Team Leader, Nancy West, says the money will be used for upgrading the program’s curriculum, providing needed professional development opportunities for the teachers, and raising awareness in the community that literacy services are available, since those who need them most are the most difficult to reach. Government funds provided to the program don’t cover these needs, she notes.

“Every year you guys blow me away–how much money can 40 people raise?” Nancy West, team leader for the literacy program, told the writers during the event. “It’s just incredible. It’s what you embody and what you believe in, what you embrace as important to you. You couldn’t write what you write if you didn’t have literacy. It’s easy to take for granted when you have so many adults who just don’t have it, who find themselves stuck and want to get unstuck. This is what you guys do: you get people unstuck.”

(September 20 HUNTSVILLE Release) The final total of funds raised by the 2015 Muskoka Novel Marathon for adult literacy in Huntsville is $32,226.53.

“This final total was so far beyond even my pie-in-the-sky predictions that it makes me want to give up predicting how much the writers are going to raise,” says writer and event convenor Karen Wehrstein, who herself learned the final number on Saturday at the Marathon wrap-up party and awards presentations. “These people are beyond amazing.”

The Muskoka Novel Marathon is an annual 72-hour writing spree and fundraiser that takes place in the Active Living Centre in the Canada Summit Centre in Huntsville. This year it took place July 10-13, and the writers collectively wrote 618,000 words, or 2,471 pages.

It is also a judged writing competition, and the winners’ manuscripts are sent directly to two publishing professionals: literary agent Sam Hiyate in the Adult category, and editor Peter Carver of Red Deer Press in the Young Adult/Juvenile category.
This year’s Adult winner was rookie marathoner Donna Curtin of Walkerton, Ontario, for her manuscript Contraindicated.

The YA/Juvenile winner was Lenore Butcher of Woodstock, Ontario, for her manuscript With Sword and Salt.

Butcher also won the Most Prolific Award, for completing 313 pages and 63,636 words, as well as the peer-voted B.I.C. (Bum-in-Chair) Award, for unwavering dedication to her work.
In other peer-voted awards: the Techie Award, for the writer who most assists other writers with technical issues, was won by 2009 Adult Best Novel winner Dawn Huddlestone of Huntsville.

The Spirit Award, for the writer who most embodies the spirit of the Novel Marathon, was won by Dale Long of Uxbridge, last year’s Rookie of the Year.

Voted this year’s Rookie of the Year was Colum McKnight of Toronto.

2015’s top fundraiser — for the fourth year in a row — was Cheryl Cooper of Bracebridge, who raised $1,975.

Funds raised by the Marathon go to the YMCA’s Literary Services in Huntsville. The program’s Team Leader, Nancy West, says the money will be used for upgrading the program’s curriculum, providing needed professional development opportunities for the teachers, and raising awareness in the community that literacy services are available, since those who need them most are the most difficult to reach. Government funds provided to the program don’t cover these needs, she notes.

“I have goosebumps right now, because we couldn’t do it without you,” West told the writers on learning the final total. “This is an outside group that just decided to adopt us. Thank you for adopting us.”

YMCA Simcoe-Muskoka Board of Directors member Andrew Lorriman, who, along with West, officially received the funds, says, “It’s a very impressive amount, especially for a small group.” Marathon participation is capped at 40 writers.

Next year’s Muskoka Novel Marathon will happen July 8-11, 2016. Some of the writers have started fundraising already.